Thurmanator coming to downtown Delaware

Enlarge ImageBuy This PhotoWILL SHILLING/CRAVEThurman Cafe will serve the 11/2-pound Thurmanator -- topped with ham, bacon and veggies -- at its new restaurant, Son of Thurman, planned to open in Feb. at 5 N. Sandusky St. in Delaware.

Thurman Cafe will bring its legendary Thurmanator -- and the rest of its vaunted menu -- to downtown Delaware next year.

Son of Thurman will take over 4,000 square feet of space at 5 N. Sandusky St., the former home of Generations and Nova restaurants. It's slated to open in February.

Chris DeVol, part of the family that opened the casual, offbeat restaurant in German Village, said it was time to take the food to other parts of central Ohio.

"We're just going to make the brand more accessible, the experience more accessible," he said.

He said downtown Delaware was a suitable locale, given its bustling street environment and emerging retail scene.

"Downtown Delaware is undergoing a revitalization and I firmly believe, as does the city of Delaware, downtown will be a true destination," DeVol said.

"It's actually an amazing downtown with an amazing population. The population is actually fiercely loyal to the businesses."

Son of Thurman will have the same menu of oversized burgers, including the famous Thurmanator, plus subs, jumbo wings and thin-crust pizzas, said DeVol, who lives in Sunbury.

"In my opinion, the Thurman experience is something that, you know, is obviously very desirous," he said. "We have lots of fans. We have nationwide acclaim."

That acclaim -- and the lines -- grew when Thurman Cafe was featured on the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food in 2008.

DeVol said there is no room for expansion at the German Village store.

"There's always a big wait at the Thurman," he said. "There's always going to be."

DeVol's mother, Donna DeVol, and uncle Mike Suclescy are the third-generation owners of Thurman Cafe, founded in 1942.

DeVol said he grew up in the business, founded by Nancho Suclescy, but spent much of his professional career selling specialized trucks to TV stations.

He said he's happy to be back in the restaurant business.

"I feel like I'm at home," he said. "Maybe it's genetic."

On a related note, Aaron Suclescy, the son of Mike Suclescy, is in the midst of opening Thurman to Go, a carryout restaurant at 14950 E. Broad St. in the Reynoldsburg area.

"He's going in the carryout direction and I'm going in the full-service direction," DeVol said.